A New Era
by Panzergal
Summary: LXG fic. The League are called upon to retreive an important weapon from a masked villian. However, things go horribly wrong as they end up in a place where they do not belong at all.CHAPTER 9 is here! Please R&R!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1

_Arrghh…head swimming, must move... _Jekyll clutched his head tightly, stumbling along the debris strewn floor feeling slightly disoriented. He had just transformed back to his original scrawny self from the monstrous being of Edward Hyde. His tattered and torn clothes hung loosely from his shoulders and chest. Bullets peppered the floor behind him, and it was a miracle that he was not hit at all.

"Jekyll, hurry up! The others have all gone through!" yelled Agent Tom Sawyer frantically, grabbing the doctor painfully on the arm and pushing him through an open doorway in front. Before following Jekyll, he spun around and loosed a series of bullets at their attackers above them. He did not really care if his bullets found their mark or not. They only served as a temporary distraction.

Slamming the battered door behind him and locking it with the ancient looking key protruding from the keyhole, Tom ran along the dank and dark passageway, following the path of Jekyll. He soon caught up with him. 

"This battle is taking far too long. You only brought one of those…what's that word again…potions with you, right?" Tom puffed, wiping sweat off his brow. Jekyll gave a wry smile. "No, I brought more than that. But I'm not going to transform now," he said, gesturing at the low ceiling above them. "I wasn't too sure about this place being easy to capture, unlike those who sent us on this so-called "less than one hour needed" mission." 

Hyde cackled in his head. _Well, it seems like you're gaining at least a modicum of awareness of the world around you, worm. _Jekyll sighed. _I don't have time for this, Hyde. Just shut up._

"Yeah, those bloody fools." Tom laughed tiredly. "Luckily I brought along more magazine than the required amount. Surely they should have known that raiding the place of a villain who is housing the most dangerous and powerful weapon of all is going to be slightly more protected than little pop guns." Jekyll nodded in agreement, sweat pouring down his face. He did not have the strength to answer and was growing more and more tired. His tall and thin physique was certainly not built for athletic sports. 

Hyde snorted. _Look at you. You are so weak and pathetic. Let me out now and I will…_

Jekyll interjected, finishing the sentence for him. _ …be crushed due to the tiny space in this corridor. You're not using your brain, Hyde. Bugger off.  _The doctor did not care if he was acting slightly out of character. He was tired, and Hyde's taunting voice in his brain was not making it any better.

"Do you know where the others are?"

Tom wrinkled up his forehead. "Mina told me that they were going this way. We should be meeting them soon. They told me to wait for you when they saw that your time limit as Hyde was up. We cannot let our dear master villain escape." Jekyll's eyes narrowed. "They've seen him?"

"Yup. But not his face. It was covered with some kind of fancy dark cloth." Tom shook his head. "Why villains even bother to come up with stupid names like the 'Fantom' and elaborately tailored 'bad guy' outfits is completely beside me." 

"I was beginning to wonder when you two would finally get here," a voice said coolly.

Tom and Jekyll's heads jerked up at the new voice. Mina Harker stood before them, her hair and clothes slightly mussed up and not looking like the elegant lady she was. Impatience and frustration were etched all over her face. For once she did not seem perturbed by the fact that blood was dripping from her mouth and onto her trademark red scarf. Jekyll gulped slightly. "Don't stand there like idiots, hurry up! I'll tell you on the way." She quickly spun around and swept off, her dark dress trailing on the stone floor. Jekyll and Tom hurried to catch up.

"It's as we feared, he is planning to use the Time Machine to travel to the future and obtain new technology for his weapons," said Mina briskly. "He is very highly skilled and we need the whole league to deal with him. The suit he wears is made up of a new strange kind of metal. It is as hard as steel, yet soft like velvet. Nemo's sword can't even make a dent on it! He and Skinner are holding him up now, preventing him from reaching the machine. He was going to travel today!" The two men exchanged glances. Tampering with the future or the past was a very dangerous thing to do. 

"Where is he now?" questioned Jekyll five minutes later, as Mina led them down yet another fork in the passageway. From the place where they met Mina, the whole corridor which was at first straight, twisted and branched out into many different directions to choose from. 

"There."

Mina shoved a very old and tattered looking tapestry out of the way in front of her, revealing a blank wall. Speaking clearly, she incanted, "Delicin und Incombe Lestra!" For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the whole wall shook and formed the appearance of a door. Mina rested her long, delicate fingers on the doorknob. Tom tightened his grip on the trigger of his gun while Jekyll held a vial of his elixir at ready. Mina nodded at both of them and swung the door open hard. 

The room the door led to was very dim. Jekyll paused for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. He could make out Nemo fighting with a man whose skills were also very excellent. The room was empty except for a large blue contraption that stood at one end. Skinner, being Skinner, was nowhere to be seen. The man was wearing a black mask and a silvery shiny suit. His strange glittering yellow eyes glinted out from the dark depths of the folds. At the sound of the door opening, Nemo turned, momentarily distracted. The masked man seized his chance. Knocking Nemo aside, he sprang towards the contraption and began punching in buttons located at the side of the thing. As one, the whole league sprang after him, weapons temporarily forgotten.

Nemo got to him first although he was still slightly dazed. Just as he reached the man, Nemo accidentally tripped. As he fell, he gripped tightly at the villain's shiny cloak. Jekyll, Tom and Mina were just behind Nemo when he fell. As a result, they all tripped over him. Jekyll felt his vial being knocked from his grasp. _You clumsy fool!_ Hyde screamed angrily in his ear. 

He looked up only to see the masked man pull down a lever. Nemo was still clutching his cloak. A sadistic, hideous laughter rang in Jekyll's ears, and he was not sure whether it came from Hyde or the villain.  A blinding blue flash enveloped him and the room swirled before his very eyes. Something hard smashed into the side of his head. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he blacked out.

***

"Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to hospital?" 

Jekyll felt someone shaking him. "W-what-?" Stirring feebly, he opened his eyelids which felt unusually heavy. 

He blinked.

Author's Note: This is my first LXG fanfic so please be gentle with the flames! I would really appreciate your comments and reviews, they mean a lot to me!


	2. Dr Jekyll finds himself in an interestin...

**Author's Note: To all those who have reviewed my fic, thank you SO much! To Lisa, I appreciate your comments, they mean a lot. The person who finds Jekyll is a girl, but no, I have no intention of making her into a Mary Sue. She is bubbly, but a far cry from being perfect.  If my character by chance sounds too Mary- Suish, please do not hesitate to tell me.**

Chapter 2

A woman's concerned face filled his entire vision. She was so close to him that he could (if he wanted to) count every one of her freckles. "Erm... did you just have a fight?" Jekyll was momentarily stunned. Then he yelped in surprise and scrambled away from her. Fully aware that he was only clothed in shreds and in the company of a woman, the doctor was very embarrassed and flushed a bright red. "I-I-I'm sorry, Madam. I know this is improper of a gentleman, but-but I didn't know…"

The stranger cocked an eyebrow at him. Jekyll was slightly shocked, as he knew that in this kind of scenario, women would usually quickly turn their heads away in acute embarrassment. Taking a good look at her, he also realized that had never seen anyone like her before. She was clothed in a pink T-shirt and casual blue pants. It was sacrilegious. Jekyll had never seen a woman in pants and wearing what he thought was very little clothing outdoors before. Her mouth was half-open, and he could see shiny metallic looking things on her teeth. _What on earth are those? The doctor thought, and he could hear Hyde echoing him. Her brows were furrowed and she stared at him with inquiring blue eyes from behind a pair of large red spectacles. In short, she looked nothing like the elegant women who wore tight fitting bodices and long skirts of his time. __Time?__ Wait…this rings a bell. _

Jekyll thought hard, pressing his index fingers to his temple, trying to break free from the overwhelming clouds of confusion in his brain. His head throbbed painfully. 

"Uh… You haven't got a concussion right?"

Jekyll stopped trying to think so hard and the pain in his brain eased slightly_. I had better find out all the information I can first…I'm sure my memory will come back to me. First and foremost, what am I doing here?? Hyde growled, _Ask her then, you fool. _ _

"I beg your pardon, madam…" 

"Please, call me Joan. Madam makes me sound so old and ancient. Okay, I may look slightly ancient due to my pretty much out-of-fashion clothes and glasses, but I'm only twenty-five, yer know?" 

The doctor stiffened slightly in surprise. Never, in his whole entire life has he ever heard a woman speak so brashly and loud. Her voice was low, much lower than the other women he knew, who all had high, musical voices. Recovering quickly, Jekyll cleared his throat. "Er…yes, Miss… J-Joan. Would you kindly please tell me how I got here? I would very much like to know."

Joan looked at him, her forehead creased slightly. "I'm not sure. It's more like a case of you were not there at first and then suddenly just appeared." He looked at her, confused. 

"I-I don't know how to explain… I may be a geek but I'm not great shakes with languages…" She frowned. Brightening up, she snapped her fingers. "Huh! I know! I'm sure you watched Terminator 3, right? You know the scene where Arnold travelled back to the past from the future? How you appeared was just like that! Although there wasn't any intense heat though…" She gave a small laugh. "I was worried about your safety when you appeared just like that right in front of me in this deserted alley unconscious. I probably would've run for help if you did not revive within five minutes. If _only_ I didn't forget to bring my hand phone… I'm getting more and more careless these days…"

Jekyll did not understand a word Joan was saying. He stared at her with a blank expression_. Terminator… __what? Travelled back to the past? From the future? _

_Isn't this time travel? Hey, that also rang a bell…_

Then suddenly, with lightning fast quickness, it all came back to him. _The Time Machine… The league… the bright light…_

"Oh my god…" He gasped, finally realizing what happened. 

Jekyll stared at the woman opposite him, eyes opened wide. She shifted uncomfortably. "What? Is it something on my face?"

Realising what he was doing was not very gentlemanly, he hastily looked away. "N-no…I'm sorry." Licking his dry lips, and not sure whether he wanted to hear the answer or not, he asked slowly, "May I know which century I am in?"

Joan stared at him. "You don't know which century you're living in? Are you sure you're alright? To refresh your memory, this is the 21st century, year 2003."

Jekyll's eyes opened even wider and his mouth fell open. _Oh god…I should have realised…_ He looked again at Joan, who was gazing at him in bewilderment, plainly confused as to why Jekyll was so shocked upon hearing what year it was now.

_Of course… why am I so stupid? This will explain everything…The sudden appearance of this woman, her clothes, and her way of speaking… _Jekyll gasped out loud as he realised something. _What about the rest of the league? Where are they? Did we somehow get separated when we travelled through time? _

He closed his eyes tightly, feeling slightly nauseous. 

Hyde sneered. _Well, we're in a fine jam, aren't we Jekyll? I wonder whether the people here will taste as good as…_

_Shut up, Hyde.__ I'm warning you…_

"Are you okay? You're paling by the minute…" He could hear a frightened, yet strangely distant voice. 

Jekyll's small fists had curled into balls.

"Nemo? Mina? Jekyll? Hello… is anyone there?"

The doctor could vaguely hear someone calling his name. _Get lost Hyde…just go away…I need to think…_

"JEKYLL!"

His eyes snapped open and turned in the direction of the voice. He heaved a sigh of relief. Tom stood at the end of the alley, looking very dirty and untidy. He walked towards them. His blond hair, face and clothes were stained with disgusting yellowish-brown mud and Jekyll shuddered to think where he landed on. "Good Lord, what happened to you?"

Tom shrugged, "I'm not sure… Landed on some wet soil, I think…" He looked ruefully at his gun which was also caked with mud. "This is going to take a long time to clean…"

Then his gaze landed on Joan. A look of curiosity came into his face. Like Jekyll, he had never seen such an oddly dressed woman before. "What's the matter lady? You ran out of dresses?" He joked. That was pretty much a bad move in Jekyll's opinion. Joan flared up, glaring angrily at Tom. "Look, I don't give a damn as to how I look. I know my clothes aren't the best, but can you all stop being so bloody superficial?! A woman's clothes and figure aren't everything, you know?" 

Tom and Jekyll were both stunned and taken aback. 

His eyes opened wide as he tried to rectify his tactlessness. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just…" Tom trailed off, at a loss at what to say. He looked at Jekyll helplessly. "I-"

By this time however, Joan had calmed down considerably. "Oh forget it. It's my fault. I suffer from mood swings from time to time. It's just so infuriating when people just judge you on your appearance and not who you are inside…" Her eyes took on a distant and dreamy look, as though focusing on something very far away.

There was a long silence.

Tom raised both eyebrows at Jekyll.

The doctor spoke, hoping to ease the tension that was as thick as peanut butter. "Er… do you know where Mina, Nemo or Skinner are?" Tom shook his head. "After that weird blue flash, I think we all got separated. Anyway…" he gestured at his surroundings. "Do you have any inkling as to where we are?"

Jekyll gulped, not sure how Tom was going to take the news. "We're in the twenty-first century, Tom," he said heavily.

"Holy cow… no way, it can't be…"

Jekyll shrugged, pointing at Joan, who was looking at them confused. "M-miss Joan here told me. She found me when I landed here by accident." Tom stared at her. "Really?"

Joan lost her patience again. "Look. I don't understand what is going on. Why are you're so uptight about what century it is? Would _someone _please explain?" She looked pointedly at Jekyll, arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

**Author's notes again: Please review and tell me your comments!!!**


	3. Joan's offer

Author's notes: To those who reviewed, thank you so much! You don't know how much those reviews mean to me, they really cheer me up immensely after a long day. Any feedback or comments are very greatly appreciated! 

Chapter 3

"Er…"

"Well?" she pressed.

Jekyll was spared from answering when another voice cut in smoothly. "This does not concern you at all, Miss Joan." 

Mina Harker strode towards them, face pale. Jekyll noticed that the blood on her face had been cleaned up. In one hand she clutched a note. In the other she held a small rectangular machine-like device that the doctor did not recognize. "We have an urgent case here…" 

"Well…" a new male voice said. "What did you expect? A ball? We're stuck in a different time zone with no means of getting back. Of course we have an urgent case here!" Joan looked around alarmed, as she noticed that neither Tom nor Jekyll had moved their lips. "Who said that? And what did he mean when he said that you are all stuck in a different timeline?"

 "Skinner, shut up." Jekyll heard Mina hiss. 

She surveyed Joan coolly, disdain oozing from every pore. "As I have said before, if you might recall, this is of no concern of yours. Please leave." Joan stood up, glaring at Mina, pure defiance displayed plainly on her face. "Make me," she hissed. Jekyll saw that Mina's eyes were glowing yellow- a danger sign well-known by every league member. Getting up hastily, he gripped Joan's am, his eyes pleading. "I'm sorry but I must beg you to l-leave. It is for your own safety. I-"

"Oh forget it, doctor. I have no time or energy left to bother with her." Mina's eyes had reverted back to their normal colour. Joan opened her mouth, ready to speak, when she caught the look on Jekyll's face. He shook his head rather vigorously, silently warning her not to say anything. Then, realising with shock what he was doing, he quickly released her arm and muttered a hurried apology. In ordinary times, Joan would have spoken up, but the doctor's frantic and nervous expression however made her close her mouth instead. Fine, she thought, I'll see where this leads to.

"Gentlemen, I must stress upon the seriousness of our situation. While searching for all of you, I found that the captain… has been captured." 

"WHAT?" Tom exclaimed loudly, shocked. Jekyll did not say anything, but he too felt very nervous and worried.

"The crook left us a message," she said, holding up the piece of paper clenched in her fist. "I'll tell you all its contents as soon as we are in a more_ private location." She looked pointedly at Joan. Joan muttered under her breath, "Whatever."_

"And I also found this near the place where the note was." Mina held up the curious rectangular machine. There were coloured lights blinking on the surface, and Jekyll could not make head or tail out of it. "I know it belongs to the captain because of all these intricate designs." She pointed out the elaborately carved surface of the machine, whose designs were a trademark of Nemo's. "Without Nemo I'm afraid we're stump-"

"Hey, wait a minute! I recognize that thing!" 

"What?" asked Mina, sounding slightly unnerved.

Joan reached forward and snatched the machine from Mina's hands. "I never thought I'll see one of these! Wow! It's a pretty old prototype but still in mint condition! It even has all these nice patterns!" She began inspecting all its flashing lights.

The whole league stared at her. She carried on fingering the machine, oblivious that she had done anything wrong. Mina's lips pursed and her eyes glittered dangerously again. Ever since Mina had taken over as head of the league since Quartermain's death, she was very touchy about her authority. Anyone who disobeyed her orders or acted without informing her was severely punished.

"You mean you _know what that is?" Tom finally spoke up._

Joan turned to face him, eyes shining brightly. "Know? Of course I know! I love all these kinds of spy gadgets! This is an old prototype of the model X78976. It's a tracking device."

"Do you know how to work it?" asked Mina, her eyes shrewd.

"Well, duh! If you want to track someone, all you have to do is to put a kind of special microchip onto the person. This device would be able to track its whereabouts. However…" she frowned. "This version is quite obsolete. I can update it though, using my computer."

"And when you… _update it, what happens?"_

Joan looked incredulously at Mina. "You don't know what 'updating' is? Are you serious? When you update something it will become more efficient, fast and reliable." 

The league members looked at each other. A small smile had formed on Mina's face and everyone knew what she was thinking. "Miss Joan," she suddenly said, sounding warmer and pleasant. "I have a favour to ask of you." Joan stopped playing with the machine and looked at her suspiciously. "A favour?" she repeated.

"Yes. We would be very grateful if you were to help us with that machine and tell us its co-ordinates."

Joan tossed the device from one hand to the other. "You mean you want me to help you?"

"Yes," said Mina impatiently. "We're in a hu-"

"Nothing doing."

"What?" Mina nearly screamed, outraged. Jekyll felt rather alarmed. It was not common to see Mina lose her cool like that. 

Joan, however, was unfazed. "Hey, you pop up suddenly, holding a tracking device and you expect me to help you just like that? I'm not brainless you know. How do I know you're not doing something illegal? First you wanted me to leave so badly. And then when you realise that I know how to work this rather obsolete model, you become all nice to me," Joan stared at all the members of the league (though not at Skinner, obviously). "I don't like being manipulated. You're all behaving really strange. First, this guy appears right out of blue in front of me," she gestured at Jekyll, "and you are all talking in very perfect English which is kind of weird and sound so shocked at hearing what this century is. The clothes you all are wearing are also very outdated, even more outdated than me and that's saying something." 

She said all this very fast.

Joan turned to look at Mina again, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "I won't help you unless you explain _clearly _what exactly is going on."

It was obvious to everyone present that as hard-headed and stubborn the girl may be, she was no fool and would not be easily deceived. A few moments passed. Mina's face was masked, and it was clear that she was doing some very hard thinking. Finally she answered, "Very well. Would you please excuse us for a moment, Miss Joan? I would like to discuss your proposition with my colleagues." 

"Go right ahead." 

Joan walked off in a distance until she was safely out of earshot.

 Mina looked at each of the league members in turn. "Well?"

 "Well what?" came Skinner's voice from the right of Tom. "Isn't it obvious that we'll need her help? She's familiar with this place and knows how to operate that machine-thingy. If we tried to do this ourselves, we'll never be able to find Nemo. I mean, come on! Look at us. We don't even fit in!"

"Yeah," chimed in Tom. "That Joan is a little rough for a girl, but she's got a face I would trust."

"Speak for yourself," retorted Mina. "I for one don't trust her. Doctor?" She turned to look at Jekyll.

"W-well," Jekyll began, looking slightly nervous. "L-looking at it from a logical point of view, I feel that it is necessary to have her aid. That t-tracking device could probably tell us the location of the villain and the Time Machine. I agree with Rodney. Without Miss Joan, I don't think we will stand much of a chance to find Nemo and get back to our own time."

"So it is agreed then," said Mina heavily. "Then I must warn all of you to take extreme precaution. We must not tell her more than what we really have to and keep her under guard at all times. Do not ever allow her to communicate to anyone about us. The less people who know about us, the better. Remember this, gentlemen. We do not belong here. And when we are done…" She paused for a moment. 

"…I am afraid that we may have to dispose of her."


	4. Introductions are made

Author's Note: Big hugs to my reviewers again! Thanks for reviewing! I'm really sorry but I may not be able to post another chapter in the coming few weeks as my exams are coming. All the same, please don't forget to leave me your comments for this chapter!

Chapter 4

A horrified silence greeted her words.

"What? But that's murder!" Tom gasped.

"The price of one for the greater good," Mina said simply.

"Greater good? Good Lord, Mina, I c-can't believe this. You're going to sacrifice Miss Joan for such a reason? Is that what you call a 'greater good'?" Jekyll spluttered out, shocked. "It's not her fault that she is in this! She is going to help us, and you are going to repay her by _killing_ her?" 

Mina surveyed him coolly. "Calm yourself doctor. I wish this no more than you do."

It was his honour that prompted Jekyll to speak up. "No, Mina. We should not even contemplate this kind of thoughts. If we kill her, what makes us different from our enemies? Like you said, we do not belong here. If she is killed by our hands, hands that are not even supposed to be here, her entire line of descendants will be terminated! We will be upsetting the balance of time itself!"

Mina's eyes glowed yellow again. Jekyll quickly took a stumbling step back.

"I did not say that we are definitely going to kill her. Please get your facts right, Doctor. I said we will only kill her _if_ the need arises. _If_ we find that she is untrustworthy and incapable of keeping secrets. In the meantime, refrain from mentioning that part of the plan to her. We do not want any unnecessary trouble, do we, Mr Jekyll?" She turned away from him. "So," she said matter-of-factly, as though the matter had been all cleared up. "It's agreed that we will accept her help?"

There was a murmur of consent. Jekyll however, did not answer. He did not trust himself to speak, fearing that he might vomit.

"One question though," said Skinner suddenly.

"Yes?" 

"Do we tell her about our abilities?" 

Mina thought for a moment. "Well… I suppose so. After all, if she is going to be with us, she is sooner or later going to find out about all our strengths and powers. However, I think we should keep at least one member's ability a secret. It really would not do for her to know EVERYTHING about us, right?" She smiled, although it was more of a leer. "I will go and get her now."

As Mina passed the doctor, she gave him a warning look.

_So, Jekyll, seems like your little crush is as cruel and insensitive as I am.  _

_She is NOT my 'little crush', Hyde. It was just a passing fantasy, that's all._

_Fantasy?_ Hyde sneered. _It was more like lust. You never could get any of the pretty girls, right?_

_Damn it Hyde! Just be quiet!_

"Jekyll? Are you okay?" Tom asked worriedly, gripping his shoulder. Jekyll was as pale as sheet and sweat was pouring down his face.

"Y-yes. Yes, I'm fine. It's all right." He mopped his sweaty brow with a handkerchief. 

Putting a hand in his pocket, he started fiddling with his pocket watch nervously. Mina soon came back with Joan in tow. "All right, we have agreed to accept your proposal. We will tell you all we know…" (Jekyll winced slightly here) "…in return, you help us with the…the machine. Do we have a deal?"   

Joan beamed. "Sure, no problem." 

"Thank you. Now, do you perhaps know of some accommodation for us? I am afraid we need to rest, to recharge ourselves."

Joan did not reply to her question. Looking around at the League again, she spoke up. "Since we have agreed to work together, I think we all ought to introduce ourselves first. It just wouldn't do to dispose of the formalities, would it?" She glanced at Mina, smiling perhaps slightly too wide. She seemed to take great pleasure in irritating the older woman. "I mean, I can't very well go around pointing fingers at each of you and saying stuff like, 'Hey you, the one with the funny gun. I need you to do this.'" 

Jekyll suppressed a smile. He could hear Skinner sniggering behind him.

"Very well, very well," snapped Mina. "I am Mina Harker, a chemist."

"Cool. Nice scarf," Joan said appreciatively. Mina's eyes narrowed and she tightened the scarf around her neck slightly. 

"Mina Harker…I don't know...somehow your name rings a bell somewhere… Oh yeah, I remember now. What a coincidence! Your name is the name of the heroine in the book Dracula! I was just reading it the other day! Cool book. Of course, I don't suppose you have any connections to her right?"

There was a silence, in which Mina pursed her lips and glared at the younger girl. 

"Erm… was it something I said?" Joan asked, confused, cocking her head to one side. "It was meant to be a _joke_. There's no need for you to get so uptight about it! I mean, _everybody _knows that vampires don't exist in real life, and that character got bitten by one in the story." 

Jekyll was looking from Mina to Joan and back again fearfully. Hyde smirked in satisfaction. _This is fun to watch. __That girl is so going to get into trouble. _

Everyone in the League knew that Mina did not like to talk about her past, and hated to be confronted by it. 

Mina's eyes were now glowing an intense yellow, much more intense than when they first met Joan. Joan stared at her in shock, and stumbled backwards quickly. Jekyll noticed with some alarm that Mina's hair was growing curlier. _Oh god, her vampire instinct is coming out… When Mina spoke, her voice took on a strange raspy sound. "Are you sure that vampires do not exist in real life? They look like humans, talk like humans and act like humans. How can you detect one?"_

"Vampires cannot exist in broad daylight and their reflections cannot be seen in a mirror!" said Joan stoutly, although Jekyll could tell that she was trembling slightly.

The tension was so thick that you could cut through it like butter.

"That is just human nonsense and superstition. None of that rubbish is true." Mina drew in closer. "You think this is just a game… a game where no one dies, no one really gets hurt. We have powers you do not know of, powers that are both blessing and curse." Her hair had come out of her neat bun in curls and her face looked more and more animalistic. As Joan looked into her eyes, she saw twin pools of shimmering gold. "You're not human!"

Mina bared her fangs. "No, I am not."

Joan screamed. 

Jekyll's mind was reeling in turmoil. _Do something…say something…Tell Mina to stop it. You were all so brave back there, why don't you stand up for Joan now? You're nothing but a coward! _

Mina swiftly put her hand over Joan's mouth, muffling her scream. "Don't worry, Miss Joan. I won't hurt you. I've had my fill of blood already. That was just to warn you about who you are dealing with. Our enemy is powerful, and he is willing to sacrifice anything to get what he wants." Her eyes and hair had changed back to their original selves. She removed her hand from the younger girl's mouth. "Do you still feel you are up to it?"

Jekyll looked at Mina confused. _What is she up too? We need Joan, why is she trying to scare her away?_

Joan was staring at Mina in awe. "You're actually a vampire… Oh my god, this is so freaky!" She tossed her head. "But I still feel that I'm up to it. I know this is not a kid's game. Even though I have no special power, my intellect and knowledge of this place will be a boon to you. Let's go kick some bad guy's ass!" She tried to inject some confidence in her rather shaky voice.

 Mina nodded slowly. It was evident to the League that she still had her doubts.

Tom quickly stepped in with his introduction. 

"I'm Tom Sawyer, a sharpshooter and special agent for-"

"Wait a second. Did you just say that your name is _Tom Sawyer_?" Joan interrupted, looking incredulously at him. 

"Er…yes."

"Then I suppose you know of a Huckleberry Finn?" Joan smiled disbelievingly. 

"Well of course. He's my best friend! We pretty much grew up together."

"This is so weird! Are all of you from story books? Gosh, I can't believe it!" She looked around at them all again, curiousity and wonderment etched in every line of her face. Just as Joan was about to turn and face Jekyll, she suddenly stopped. "Oh yeah, I just remembered. Who was that guy who spoke just now? The one who mentioned about all of you being in a different timeline?"

 "That was me, luv!" came Skinner's cheerful cockney accent. 

"What? There's that voice again! Who are you?" Joan asked, looking around in confusion. Skinner chuckled. "I'm Rodney Skinner, gentleman thief and here only for comic relief." 

Joan was stunned. "Where are you?"

"You can't see me. I'm invisible. Stole the potion's formula right from under Hawley Griffin's nose!"

 Joan gaped. "_You stole the potion from Hawley Griffin? I've read about him in the 'Invisible Man'!" Skinner laughed again. "Pleased to meet you, Miss! But be warned, I'm quite a devilish tricky blighter myself!"_

Joan grinned. "And what about you?" she inquired, looking at Jekyll.

"Oh, m-my name is Henry Jekyll. I am a scientist."

"A scientist. That's interesting. Did you ever invent anything?"

"Er… w-well, if I did, surely you would have heard of me, right?" Jekyll laughed shakily.

Joan laughed too. "I don't know. Your name sounds really familiar, I remember seeing it on a book along with another name… what was it…oh yeah, Edward Hyde. Do you know him?"

The doctor started visibly. "Edward Hyde?" he asked, very nervously. _Don't tell me she knows…_

"Yeah, but I didn't read the book though. It sounded quite boring. So do you know him?"

The atmosphere was very tense again although Joan appeared not to have noticed.

Jekyll caught Mina's expression. She shook her head silently. 

"Y- no. No, I don't know who he is," Jekyll quickly said. Hyde laughed in his head. _Why? Scared of her reaction to the hideous, monstrous alter ego of timid, shy Henry Jekyll?_

"Oh I see," Joan said. She looked at him, puzzled. "Then what is your special skill? Mina mentioned that all of you have super powers, so what's yours?"

"I-"

Mina cut in quickly. "I did not mean him. Doctor Jekyll is just our scientist. He helps me with my work. I am a chemist, after all."

Jekyll felt that Mina was being unusually harsh with him. Then he remembered his outburst just now. 

_She's now making me out to be such a pathetic weakling…_

_Which you are, worm. Face it. Without me, you are nothing. _

_Shut up, Hyde…I can survive without you._

_Don't delude yourself. You need me. You enjoy being me. You love the power._

_Monster!_

_Don't forget, I AM you._

"SHUT UP!" His voice rang out, almost shrilly. Everyone stared at him, shocked.


	5. Joan's lodgings

Author's note: I've finally finished my exams and am now back to updating. But after this chapter, I'm afraid I won't be able to update for five more days as I am going to camp. A big thanks to my reviewers and feedback and comments are very greatly appreciated. I know the story seems geared towards a relationship between Jekyll and Joan, but don't worry, it would not be the same lovey-dovey kind. It's going to be different, so please be patient for it to develop! 

Chapter 5

Jekyll slumped down and shivered. The tattered remains of his clothes flapped miserably in the silent cool breeze. Although it was cold, great sweat drops still ran down the sides of his face and onto the floor. He had not realised that it was so cold. Mina, in the process of tying up her hair again, froze. Tom asked, concerned, "What happened, Jekyll? Are you feeling unwell again? Was it Hy-" He broke off quickly as Mina glared at him. "I-I mean, was it a- a bad headache?" He finished rather lamely.

"N-no, I am fine," Jekyll said, trying to sound reassuring. "It was just the c-cold."

"Are you sure? You didn't exactly sound very sick just now... Who were you saying 'shut up' to?" Joan asked curiously, kneeling beside him. 

Jekyll looked at her, wondering what on earth he should tell her.

Mina quickly cut in with an explanation. "You must forgive the doctor. He suffers slightly from feelings of disorientation and confusion from time to time." Jekyll closed his eyes in silent protest as Hyde laughed in his head.

Joan stared at Mina coolly. "If you don't recall, I asked him, not you. I do believe that he is quite capable of answering without your help." 

The vampire glared at her furiously.  

Turning her back as rudely as she could on Mina, Joan faced Jekyll again. "Well? What happened?" 

Opening his eyes, Jekyll looked at Mina's face from behind Joan. He gulped slightly. 

"N-n-nothing. It's just as Mina had said. I'm sorry," the doctor lied awkwardly. Shivering again, he sneezed.

Joan knelt beside him. "I'd better check your temperature. You sound as though you've got a pretty bad cold."  She felt his head for signs of a fever. Jekyll tried to jerk away, but did not have the energy to do so. Her hand was soft and delicate, bearing no traces of hard human labour. Its cool touch felt very pleasant against his burning forehead. "Henry, you name's Henry right? Your head is quite hot, I think you've got a fever. Thank goodness I've stocked up on panadols at home… I'll get you one."  She looked at an interesting round gadget with numbers perched on her wrist. "My god, time has really passed so fast! I hadn't realised it was evening already. You must freezing! The evening wind in this place is quite cold. Come, I had better get you all to my house."

"One moment there," Skinner's cheeky voice said. "What about me? I have no clothes on! Aren't I in an even worst state than poor Jekyll here? All right, he's clothes are in shreds, I'll give him that, but overall he's still more clothed than me! Don't I deserve more attention? I wouldn't mind you feeling MY forehead…" Mina rolled her eyes in a very unlady-like manner while Tom snorted with laughter. Jekyll, on the other hand, was feeling much too cold and sick to say anything. What he really wanted was a hot cup of tea and a meal. A nice soft bed would not be too bad either. Jekyll found himself longing for his comfy bed in the Nautilus. Hyde snorted in disgust in his head. _You are an even worse mama's boy than I thought. _The doctor ignored him.   

Joan laughed. "Maybe, but I get the distinct impression that you are much more used to this kind of cold than Henry here is. He's sick, and you don't sound as though you're dying, so I'm afraid you're just gonna have to wait." She stood up and stretched out a hand towards Jekyll.

He looked up at her bewildered. He had never seen a woman extend a hand to a man before. "Miss Joan?"

Joan rolled her eyes. "Are all you people from the past that thick? Why do you think I'm extending my hand for? To hit you? Come on, take my hand. I'm going to pull you up." Jekyll looked at her for a moment in trepidation, and then tentatively reached out and took her hand. Mina shook her head disapprovingly from behind Joan's back.

Grabbing the doctor's hand with a force unbecoming of a lady, she yanked. Jekyll's eyes opened wide as she pulled him to his feet. 

"Luv, from what you have just done, I must say I've come to two conclusions. One, you are quite strong for a gal. The second, is that Jekyll must be a pathetically light man." Skinner chuckled as Jekyll's pale face flushed slightly.

Joan smiled. "Hey, if I am not strong after all the bloody physical education my insane teacher back at college made me do, I'd be the one who is pathetic, not him!" Grinning, although he had absolutely no idea what Joan was talking about, Tom stepped towards them and offered to support Jekyll while Joan led the way. She agreed. 

***

"And this is my humble home," Joan announced, throwing open the door leading to the house. "Sorry it's so messy, but I share it with my sister and brother. They are very messy pigs. But you need not worry about them. My sister has just gone off to Australia to study for a degree and won't be back for a couple of months. My brother is in a boarding school at the moment. And so, I've got the whole house to myself." Flicking on a light switch, she blinked for a few moments to let her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness.

Turning around to the League, Joan motioned for them to follow. Instead, she was greeted with blank and stunned stares and no one moved an inch forward. "Well, what's wrong?" she asked impatiently. 

"What _was that?" asked Tom in amazement. "That was really brilliant!"_

"What was what?"

"That light thingy! Wow, that is really advanced technology! In our day we only had lamps that had to be brightened manually! This lighting is even more sophisticated than the Captain's!"

Joan stared at him for a moment. Then her face relaxed. "Oh, I get it. I had forgotten that the whole lot of you came from the past. Well, if I were you, I wouldn't be surprised. After all, this IS the twenty-first century."

She held the door open for them. The League trooped in cautiously, casting uneasy looks at the television, furniture and telephone as though they were about to attack them. Even though he was feeling sick and queasy, Jekyll could not help looking around with curiousity at his surroundings from Tom's shoulder. His scientist mind longed to touch the futuristic gadgets, dismantle them, and figure out how to work them.

"All right people. I'm gonna bring Henry to my room to change. Please wait here for a while." She motioned towards the sofa. "Come on, Henry. My brother has a couple of clothes that I think can fit you. You're both around the same size, except that you're slightly taller and thinner. We must get you out of those rags." Joan came forward and tried to put her arm around Jekyll to support him. The doctor quickly and nervously dodged to one side, although that little bit of exertion nearly caused him to vomit. "That's a-all right, Madam-I mean Miss J-Joan. I c-can walk myself. You need-needn't b-bother." He was stuttering worst than ever, his face furiously red. It seemed that women in this era were much more liberal than they were a century ago. 

Joan stared at him, confused. "You're sure? Man, you really look sick. I'll get you some medicine after you've changed." Jekyll nodded dumbly, inching slightly away from her. She shrugged, strode forward, and motioned for Jekyll to follow. Just as he was about to walk, the lights suddenly went out.   
"What the-"

"SAWYER!" Mina shouted angrily. "Stop that!" 

The lights came on again. Tom was fiddling with the light switch, his face glowing. "Isn't this grand! I wonder what my aunt Polly would say if she saw this! The light turns off when I press the switch, and comes on when I press it again! It's just like witchcraft!" He looked just like a child who had been given a new toy. Jekyll hid a smile while Mina shook her head disapprovingly.

Joan walked back up to Tom, trying desperately to conceal her giggles. "Er… you _think that's the only thing cool?  I've got something else that is sure to interest you more." She moved to the front of a huge black contraption in front of the sofas. "This is a television… er…. A box that shows…um…moving pictures. Anyway," she added, noticing the blank looks on the League's faces. "I'm sure you'll find this amusing." _

She pressed a button on the television.

The screen instantly lit up, and the entire league stared at it in awe. 

Tom recovered first. "This is brilliant!" he shouted, detaching himself from the light switch and plonking down before the television. "There are moving people here! Amazing!" Joan gave him the remote control. "You can change the channels too, if you want," she offered, "all you have to do is just press the buttons with numbers on them."

As Tom busied himself with the television, Joan turned and walked back to Jekyll. He was looking at the television set with a very odd, almost hungry look to his eyes. 

_You're pathetic. Why can't you ever stop thinking about experimenting with all these newfangled rubbish? You ought to be thinking about how to get prostitutes…_

_Just because you are a pervert doesn't mean that I am one too, Hyde. And besides, this is NOT the time to go looking for sex._

_You are not a pervert, Jekyll? I wonder who it was then, who visited the prostitutes in __France__ due to his inability to get a decent girl? And who it was, who stood outside the room watching Mina with those shameless thoughts? And…_

_Hyde, I'm warning you…_

"A bee in your bonnet, Henry?"

"What?" Jekyll's head snapped up. 

"You looked as though you were very preoccupied with something. Anything wrong?" Joan asked curiously.

"Oh, n-nothing. It's just a mild headache."

Joan nodded, although she looked slightly unconvinced. "All right, if you're sure. Follow me then."

*** 

Mina looked at the pair from out of the corner of her eye. "Skinner?" She hissed softly. 

"Yes?" came the cockney accent.

 "I want you to follow those two without revealing yourself unless forced to. Make sure that Joan does not go anywhere or communicate with anyone after she gives Jekyll his clothes. The doctor seems to have become more agitated and nervous after the trip in the Time Machine. He might let slip something vital if Joan decides to ask him for information, and I want you to be sure he wouldn't. Can I trust you on that?"

"Luv, by this time you ought to know that you can trust me with anything dealing with spying and secrency."

He threw her an invisible roguish wink before going after Jekyll and Joan.

Mina sighed.


	6. Inner turmoil

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! This is kind of like my favourite chapter so far, but I am really interested as to what you all think of it. If there are any criticisms, please do not hesitate to tell me as I can use them to improve my writing. Thanks a lot! P.S it seems that there's something wrong with ff.net as this chapter did not turn up for some reason. So I am sorry for the delay as I went to Thailand.

Chapter 6

She turned her gaze to Tom, who was rapidly pressing all the buttons on the remote control. The quick changing of scenes as screen after screen of different coloured backgrounds flashed by made Mina feel slightly giddy. Closing her eyes, she sat down on one of the soft sofas and leaned back slightly. Her hand went into her pocket and instinctively grasped the note from the villain tightly. She wondered what to do. Mina knew that they were lucky to get help from Joan, but there was something about her that she just could not trust. It was probably due to her odd mannerisms and unlady-like manner. 

Or perhaps she was just being overly paranoid. After being betrayed by Dorian, the man whom she trusted and even loved, Mina refused to admit new members the moment she became leader of the group. Going through thick and thin together, the League had bonded to become a rather close knit group and she did not want to see the bond destroyed by an inexperienced newcomer who could very well be a traitor too. 

Her head was throbbing pretty badly, but she had no intention of letting anyone, especially that Joan girl, know. She was not as weak as Jekyll, who seemed to permanently have a look that screamed, "Please hug me!" 

Mina knew that she was not treating Jekyll very fairly. It must be hard to hang on to your sanity with two very different personalities warring within you. The doctor was not a bad person, but it was that look of vulnerability about him that made her secretly hold him in contempt. He could at least try to act like a man. Although he was usually a perfect gentleman, he always looked sickly and whimpered quite a lot. However, Mina did not rebut the fact that despite these faults, Jekyll was also a rather brave man as he had risked his life countless of times to save the League before. 

But she acknowledged that Hyde was a much more useful and effective member of the League. His brute force and thick skin were usually critical in winning hand-to-hand combat against the villains. Jekyll seemed to serve only two purposes, housing that immense and destructive alter-ego which is Hyde, and to continue making the elixir that enables him to come out. Even though he was intelligent and somewhat a genius at chemistry, the League also has Mina to do these things and she believed that she was no less capable than the doctor.

Out of the whole League, Mina personally believed that Jekyll, by himself, was the most useless. 

***

They walked in silence for a while, going through the long passages of the house. The floor was carpeted in blue, with little flower patterns. Their feet made no sound at all as they walked. The walls was bare, with only vertical lines of red and orange to decorate them. Joan suddenly spoke, breaking the monotonous silence. "Pretty boring and huge place, isn't it? Well, I guess you're probably thinking where my parents are, right?"

Without waiting for an answer from Jekyll, she continued, "My mum and dad have both passed away in a car accident just a few months ago. As a result, this house was given to us kids. I'm the eldest, and since I'm old enough, I get to become my siblings' legal guardians. My other sister is the same age as me but I was first. My brother is the youngest and is now fifteen. My parents were very rich, that's why we own such a big house. But they had the blinking misconception that money and wealth were the only things worthwhile in this world. How superficial. It seems odd that people try to store up treasures in this world when they can't take any of it when they die. As a result, my parents were always working, and left me, my sis and bro to our own devices. They thought that giving us whatever we wanted was the right way to bring us up. Luckily we had each other to support and guide us, although there were occasionally some lapses in good judgement. I think without my siblings, I would have turned out to be a delinquent."

The doctor did not know what to say. It seemed odd to him that a woman whom he had barely known for a day was telling him all this. Of course, he WAS wondering where her parents were, but not in detail about how they treated her and what their philosophies were about. What Joan had said was the kind of answer he would have expected her to tell a very close friend, not a casual acquaintance.

She turned her head to look at him, pushing away a few stray wisps of brown hair that had fallen over her eyes. "Could you tell me which timeline you all came from?"

Jekyll thought through his answer. It seemed like a harmless question and so he answered, "Oh, a-around the early twentieth century."

Joan nodded. 

There was a slight pause, in which Jekyll could tell that Joan was deliberating her next question. "I see. Erm… well, I don't really know you at all. Since I've told you something about myself, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"   

Jekyll sincerely hoped that Joan was not trying to pump information from him. "M-myself?"

"Yeah, I mean… did you really exist a century ago?"

Confusion was etched all over Jekyll's face. "But…Miss Joan, if I did not exist, I would not be here at all."

"Oh, I refer to the fact that all of you came from fictional books, except for, what's his name again, oh yeah, Rodney. But he stole the formula from Hawley Griffin, who is also a storybook character."

Jekyll thought for a while. "Yes, we all did exist b-back then. I have no idea how we ended up as storybook c-characters though." He shuddered at the thought of Joan knowing that he once enjoyed being Hyde, and that he wanted to be evil and free when he was tired of the confines of Jekyll. It was really lucky that Joan had not read the book about him though. He could just imagine her disgust towards him if she read it. Her knowledge of the rest of the League seemed very accurate.

"Hmmm… Anyway, could you tell me how did you become a member of this…this interesting group of characters?"

The doctor started, and then quickly contemplated what to tell her. 

_Careful now, Jekyll… you wouldn't want the girl to find out more about you than necessary, right?_

_Oh be quiet, Hyde! I am not stupid and won't tell her anything vital._

Hyde snorted. _That's what you think._

Jekyll gritted his teeth forcefully before composing himself.  "I a-am but a doctor, or a chemist if you will. I am not as special as the rest. My specialities do not go beyond the scope of chemistry and the sciences." 

Joan laughed disbelievingly. "Hey, don't try to kid me. I-"

Jekyll interrupted her suddenly. "I beg your pardon, Miss Joan, but could you kindly please explain what you mean by 'kid'? From your manner of speaking, I do not think you mean children, right?"

"What? Oh…erm… 'kid' in my context means… uh… 'bluff'. Yeah, something like that. Do you understand?"

"Bluff?" The doctor was still hopelessly muddled.

"Gah!!! I hate English! It means…umm… darn it, I can't remember. Wait, I get it, it's deceive. Yeah, 'kid' in my context mean deceive! Do you get it now?"

"Oh, I see," Jekyll said, finally realising what she meant. He seriously doubted that he would be able to understand what people in this century were talking about if they all spoke like that. They may be speaking in English, but their words and sentences were so hopelessly twisted and changed that it was impossible to fully comprehend their speech. It was a stroke of luck that the language had not changed so much to the extent that it was TOTALLY impossible for people from the past to understand it. 

"Anyway, going back to the topic, I'm not that stupid. There are surely plenty of chemists or doctors or whatever back in YOUR era. Why did they choose you? Surely you must have some superhuman abilities or something right?"

"Uh… Well, I was _considered to be a genius or a prodigy…"_

"Really? Like Einstein?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ummm…Never mind, let's carry on, shall we? I would like to ask you, if you're a genius, then why are you not the main chemist? Shouldn't it be Mina helping you and not the other way around? She may be a certified chemist, but surely that can't beat the brilliance of a genius right?" 

Jekyll coughed. "W-well… she is brilliant too, in her own right." 

Suddenly, he became aware of a distinct dry chuckle coming from the back. He whipped around instinctively, one hand still holding up his tattered trousers, the other gripping his last remaining elixir concealed in his pocket. But there was no one in the deserted corridor behind him. The chuckle ended abruptly. Jekyll was confused. He knew that he really HAD heard the chuckle, and that it sounded very familiar, but then… if someone was following them, how come he could not see whoever it was? Unless…  Oh god…

"What is it, Henry?"

With a great effort, Jekyll turned back to face Joan. "Oh, forgive me. I thought I heard someone behind us. C-Clearly I was wrong. Please, continue."

Joan squinted at the space behind them for a while, but then she shrugged and carried on walking. She continued chatting, but Jekyll was no longer listening. He lagged slightly behind, head bowed and feeling very preoccupied.

_Skinner…he must be following us. There is no other explanation. It was his chuckle I heard… no wonder it sounded so familiar._

Hyde sneered in his head. _It took you long enough to realise that, you dumbbell. I knew he was coming along ever since we started walking with Joan. His footsteps may be soft, but I can still hear them. _

Jekyll sighed in frustration. _Then why did you not tell me?? _

_I just wanted to see how long it was going to take for you to smell out the pungent odour of distrust._

_What do you mean by that, Hyde? _Jekyll shot back angrily, although in his heart he knew and dreaded the answer.

_Isn't it painfully obvious? Must I explain everything that is going on in detail to you, you pathetic little creature? The League, or should I say Mina, does not trust you to look after yourself and to keep important secrets. I bet she is scared that poor, gentlemanly and wimpy Jekyll is going to spill the beans on them. _

Jekyll flushed. _You have no proof on this matter. Take that back!_

_Why do you think Skinner is following you around like a bloodhound after its prey? Do you really think that he's the sort of person to personally care about where you are going with Joan? Mina must have ordered him to do so. He would not follow you unless being ordered and you know it! Do not try to deny it._

Silence.

_So… after all this time…they still do not trust me at all._ He felt cheated, angry and hurt. He did not want to believe it, but what other excuses are there? 

_But why? I can be trusted.  I am a good man, a good man! _

_A good man? I laugh… you are still as pathetic as you were when you first said those lines. Do you remember? It was on our first trip aboard the Nautilus…A good man indeed… ha, you are nothing without me, your so-called evil side. Are you so deluded as to believe that being 'good' is worthwhile and important? Not in this League. Sure, we fight for "good", we fight for the "righteous", but are all of us truly angelic on the inside? We all have our demons and evil within us…what the League only cares about is our capabilities, not our 'goodness'. This is why I am so much more valuable than you. You, by yourself, are so worthless.  _

_I AM capable. I am not weak… _

_That is what you so like to perceive yourself as, dear doctor. But do the others think so? Darling Mina must be thinking you are teetering on the brink of insanity, what with all your sudden outbursts of anger. You want her… but do you really think she wants you? When she looks at you, her eyes are always cold and hard, lips pursed in a disapproving line…_

_You lie. _Beads of sweat were breaking out again all over his forehead. _She has smiled at me before._

_Once._

_Not only once. It was more than that._

_You are such a fool. All those other times that she smiled was actually at me, not you. She smiles at what I do, after I had done some big heroic thing to save all our lives. It is me, not you that she notices. The one time that Mina ever smiled at YOU was only because it was polite to do so. You were being ever so gentlemanly to her, it would be rude of her not to return it with at least a tiny bit of warmth. That is all she gave, and you are happy with that? _

_Liar!_

_She does not want you, she does not need you. You are nothing compared to the traitor Dorian. He has done all those things which you so long to do to Mina… kissing her passionately, running his fingers through her long silky hair, perhaps even going to bed…_

_Stop it!!_

_Is the truth too much for you? She has experienced more demons than you can imagine. Why would she like someone like you? She needs a real man, someone whom she can relate to, someone whom she can depend on… someone like me! _

_Liar. _Jekyll repeated it feverishly, shaking his head, refusing to believe what Hyde had just told him. 

_Let me out…let me out now. I can make it all go away. I can make all your inner turmoil and anger disappear like a puff of smoke… go on, drink the potion…_

The doctor's free hand went slowly into his pocket again. 

_Control yourself, Jekyll! Do not expose yourself needlessly! _

His fingers slid over the smooth surface of the vial.

_Go on…let me out. I can give you what you desire and you know it._

The fingers tightened around the tube.

_NO! Joan cannot see this monstrosity of mine!_

The movement of his hand stopped.

_You will do it! It is my will, not yours that count! Who cares about that silly little wretch anyway? If anything happens to her, it serves her right for poking her nose into our business!_

_Why are all of you so cruel and inhuman? She is a person too, not some kind of soulless helper that can be tossed aside the moment she has served her purpose!_

_Your big heart has always gotten you into trouble, you stupid piece of shit! Can't you ever realise that? Enough of this useless talk, I want to get out, NOW!!_

Against his will, Jekyll felt his hand pulling the sparkling vial out of the confines of his pocket.

_I cannot do this! _

_Do it! Now!_

His eyes gazed hungrily at the brilliant blood red colour of the elixir in his hand. 

_I can't…_

_Do it, or I will MAKE you!_


	7. OOps a little error here

I'm sorry but I think something went wrong with fanfiction.net as my Chapter 6 did not turn up for some reason. I am now uploading that chapter again and could you all please tell me whether it has worked or not? Thanks a lot.  
  
***  
  
The chapter has now turned up. My computer did not allow me to access my sixth chapter so I assumed that it was the same for everyone else.  
  
P.S I have finished writing the seventh chapter and so, please ignore this page and proceed on to the next. Thanks!  
  
Panzergal 


	8. Temptations

Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews! I hope that all of you readers will continuing reviewing and telling me what you think! They really make my day!

Chapter 7

"Henry?"

Jekyll felt a hand on his arm. 

"My god, you look terrible. Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?" Joan asked in concern. "I guess you hadn't listened to a word I was saying right? I was just telling you more about…"

Something seemed to snap within the doctor. He flailed out, pushing Joan away from him rather forcefully. She stumbled backwards in alarm.

Jekyll crouched down, shivering against the wall. Joan stared at him in a mixture of fear and bewilderment. The doctor was acting totally different. Unable to control himself, Jekyll blurted, "Don't touch me! Get away from me! I am a monster, a hideous monster!" 

_I want to come out… let me out, let me out!_

Jekyll's face was screwed up in a look of agony. Dropping to his knees, he pressed his hands tightly against his ears. "NO! I cannot! I will not!" 

_You can't contain me in you forever!_

"Henry, what monster are you talking about? What's happening?" Joan's eyes were opened wide with terror. She was too petrified to run for help or even move.

_That girl wants to know more about you, doesn't she? Fine… why don't we give her a proper introduction of your other side? It would be rude of me not to make an appearance, don't you say?_ _After all, I AM part of you._

The doctor's strength was already weakened by influenza. His disappointment and anger towards the League also served to throw his already exhausted mind into even more turmoil. And so, Hyde seized his chance.

_No, please… don't…_

Jekyll could feel Hyde overpowering him, spreading his influence like an octopus's tentacles engulfing its prey. Jekyll's control over his own will was wrenched from his grasp. He gasped weakly. "No!"

_You are pathetic._

"Henry! Answer me! What's going on? Do you want me to get help?"

Jekyll looked up at her, and Joan pressed herself against the wall behind her. Sweat had made his face shiny and spittle was emerging from the sides of his mouth. His usually neat hair was all mussed up and untidy and he looked all in all like a wild and insane man. But the features that were really scary and changed were his eyes. They burned and glared. Bulged and flamed. Eyes are considered to be the window to your soul. Joan did not see Jekyll from behind those windows. What she saw was an animal, a furious and raging caged animal that desired to be let out. "Oh my gawd…"

Jekyll felt his lips tugging upwards in a leer that was not his own. "You want to know more about me? Are you sure that's what you want? Curiosity has always killed the cat… but I will grant you that wish. However, you, like the cat, may not live long enough to get over your shock!"

Joan's face was very white. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The doctor's now slightly distorted face was lit up again by another insane smile. "Be patient my dear…I will show you what I mean very soon!"

_She's innocent! Leave her be! What has she ever done to you?_ Jekyll pleaded. _  
Nothing. And that is what makes it so entertaining!_

Jekyll tried desperately to regain control over his mind but Hyde was now much too strong for him. Mentally, he felt himself being thrust to the back of his own brain like so much garbage. 

Hyde sneered in disgust. _Garbage, that is all you are, you insignificant little worm! I am having fun now, and no one is going to stop me! _

Jekyll was defeated. He watched through his own eyes helpless and powerless, as Hyde manipulated his hands to begin unscrewing the vial. 

_No…don't…_

Suddenly, Jekyll felt the tube being wrenched from his grasp. "What the- Skinner!" 

 "R-Rodney? You're here too?" Joan asked, looking at the floating tube with huge eyes.

"Yes. Now love, I need you to get help from the rest of the League. Just tell them there's something wrong and to come, quickly!"

"B-but it will take some time… we're pretty far away from them now…"

"Just go!" 

Joan took one last frightened look at Jekyll before sprinting away.

The vial floated before Jekyll's wild eyes, taunting him with its brilliance, making him hunger even more for the comfort and respite it could give him. He ignored the running Joan. With Skinner finally making his presence known, an uncontrolled anger and resentment flared up in him, and suddenly, Jekyll found himself in control of his own body once again. Hyde had decided to take the backseat for a short while to enjoy the sparks that he knew will soon fly between Jekyll and Skinner.  He also knew that when Jekyll was in this state, he was mentally at his most vulnerable and can be more easily bent to his will.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jekyll?! You're giving everything away!"  The invisible thief hissed angrily into his ear. It seemed to him as though Hyde had, for the first time, succeeded in taking over Jekyll without physically changing into himself. 

_Go on… rip into him…tear into him…he is not a friend, he is just a spy! A friend would not follow you around like that…_

Jekyll's voice was full of suppressed anger. "So what if I am? Do all of you even treat me as part of the League? Do you? Following me around like a dog as though I cannot take care of myself or be trusted?" 

"Who says that we don't treat you as part of the League?" Skinner replied rather shakily, after he had gotten over his shock at Jekyll's unnatural outburst. 

Jekyll laughed bitterly. "If you treat me as part of the League, and as someone that can be trusted, you would not try to follow me! Did you really think that Hyde cannot sense you?"

"Now see here Jekyll… you're just being overly paranoid! And anyway, I think Mina was right in telling me to follow you, considering the way you are acting right now…"

"I would not have lost control if I had not sensed your presence he-" Jekyll was speaking when he suddenly realised something.   

"Wait…did you say Mina sent you? _Mina_?" 

"What does that matter to you?"

"Just answer the BLOODY question, you invisible freak!" The doctor screamed, sounding exactly like Hyde.

Skinner was very much taken aback. The doctor was losing it, fast. "Much as I don't appreciate being called a freak, if the answer will calm you down then… yes, Mina sent me."

The doctor's face contorted even more.  

_You see? Now you know the truth…she does not trust you at all. You are just a stupid little weakling to be made use of by others._

 Jekyll snarled dangerously, baring his teeth. "I tire of this talk and you are wasting my time. Give my formula back, Skinner. Now." 

Skinner was very worried. He had never seen the doctor in his normal self act this way before. Of course, there WERE frequent outbursts, but none of them even came close to this magnitude.

"Jekyll, what is happening to you? Don't let Hyde control you like this!"

"Hyde is NOT controlling me!" Jekyll spat. "Why do all of you think that when I am angry, it is through Hyde's influence and not mine?! I have taken more than I can take… and what do I get in return? Not even a single modicum of support and trust!" He glared at where he thought Skinner's face was, judging from the position of the floating vial. 

_They don't take you seriously. They never do. You are nothing._

_Shut up!!_

_Joan is not here now… you are now free to do what you really want… get the vial! I will teach them a lesson they will never forget…_

Jekyll's line of reasoning soon caved in to his burning craving of the drug.

_I want it…I need it… They won't listen to me… but they'll listen to you…Tell them from me that I tire of their deception…_

_Get me the elixir, NOW!  
_With a growl, the doctor suddenly lunged for the glittering serum. "I SAID, give that back!!" The invisible man quickly dodged out of the way in time and Jekyll fell to the floor in a heap. Groaning, he struggled to get up. "You bloody swine, I'll kill you!" His eyes burned even more with hatred as he stood, focussing on his vial. Once he had it, he would be unstoppable…

Roaring, he lunged at it again.

Skinner sighed. "I'm sorry, Jekyll, but you are forcing me to do this."

With a sickening crack, Jekyll felt something hard smash into the side of his head. A swirling darkness enveloped him, and he could feel himself falling into some dark abyss and spiralling down and down and down...

***

"While Joan is getting some more warm water, we've _got_ to talk. This is very pressing. Skinner, what exactly happened?"

"I don't know. He was acting normally, and then he suddenly went all…strange. That happened when he suspected that I was following him and the girl. When I was forced to make myself known, because he was about to gulp down that liquid of his, he went all berserk."

"What do you mean by 'berserk'?"

"He acted really _stranger than usual. Started screaming about us not trusting him and whatnot. He became aggressive and so I was forced to subdue him. What was funny was that he only became very violent when I mentioned that it was you who sent me."_

"Why were you so careless as to let Jekyll know that you're following him?"

"Hey, it's not my fault! Jekyll mentioned that Hyde can sense me."

"Really…"

"I don't see what the fuss is all about. It is just Hyde up to his old tricks again."

"Be quiet, Sawyer."

Jekyll awoke to the soft murmuring of voices. He opened his eyes blearily, taking in very indistinct shapes around him. As his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, the figures of Mina, Tom and Skinner swam into view. 


	9. Facades

Author's note: I'm REALLY REALLY sorry about the delay in updating this fic. I have just come back from camp and am now finally writing again. Thank you for all your reviews, they are very much appreciated! Oh, and about Joan's nationality, you will soon find out in the next chapter! 

Chapter 8

He moaned and gripped his head. He felt as though his brain had been pummelled to bits by a hammer as it was throbbing very painfully. The other three figures around his bed started in surprise at his sudden awakening and Mina quickly whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Tom and Skinner. "Shush. Not one more word about this matter. He's awake."

Jekyll noted with some surprise that someone had changed him out of his tattered clothes, and he was now wearing… wearing what seemed to him as a striped outfit of the thinnest material he had ever seen. It was completely buttoned up in front. His pocket watch and the rest of the things that were in his pants pocket now stood on top of the bedside table beside him.

"W-what happened? G-god, my head…" Jekyll tried to sit up on the bed he was in, but fell back with a groan. All his limbs and joints were aching terribly. 

_You are so weak…_

_Oh damn it Hyde! I don't want to listen to you! Just leave me alone!  _

_They're never going to forgive you after what happened… just look at their faces._

_W-What? What are you talking about?_

_Don't tell me you do not recall what you did just now, you stupid numbskull._

Jekyll gripped his head again as he tried to get his scrambled thoughts back on track. What exactly did he do? Slowly, the pieces began to fall in, filling in the missing picture in his brain. He remembered the struggle with Hyde… Joan… 

…and the attack on Skinner. 

_I attacked Skinner?!_

_You wanted the elixir so badly…_

_No, not I. It was you!_

_Don't you remember what happened? Or are you still deluding yourself, trying to hide from the truth that is staring right at your worthless self? YOU wanted me to destroy the League. YOU craved for me to end your misery, to end your sufferings._

Jekyll knew deep down that Hyde was telling the truth. But he wouldn't accept it. He couldn't accept it. That would break everything that he had been telling himself for the past few years, in the never ending quest of clinging on to his sanity that may any time slip through his fingers. Everything was all Hyde's fault, not his. He was the reason why Jekyll was in this state, a lonely spent shell of a man, a man who is caught in the raging conflict between good and evil with nowhere to go. No. He is innocent, free of taint. It was only Hyde who is guilty, not him.

_You are evil and I am good! Enough of this!_

Hyde snorted. _Are you sure it is as simple as that? What is the difference between a good man and a bad man? You call yourself a good man? A good man indeed you are…creating me, and then blaming all your miserable shortcomings and weaknesses on your creation just because you are too scared to shed the 'pure' image that you hold yourself so close to. Don't forget, you are a mixture of GOOD and EVIL. You have never perfected the formula in the first place to create two completely different characters, the good and evil side of man.  What you received when you first drank the potion was a greater evil which is me, and a lesser evil which is you.  _

_Don't pretend to be oh so good and holy, you hypocrite. We are still the same person. You will never be separated from me, Jekyll, not until the day you die!_

_NO!_

***

"Jekyll? Jekyll!" Skinner called out at the doctor, who was now hunched over his knees, hands covering his face and trembling slightly. Jekyll gave no sign of hearing him. 

"He is not going to hear you I expect. He seems to be locked in another battle of wills with Hyde."

"This is so awful. Poor Jekyll… it's a wonder how he has managed to hang on to his sanity…Hyde never does leave him alone doesn't he?" Tom asked, half-way through cleaning his mud-encrusted gun.

Mina wrinkled up her nose at him. "Not that I am aware of. And anyway, you had better ask Joan to show you where the bathroom is so that you can wash up. You really look a rightful mess."

"Well, but Joan is not here now is she? I wonder why she is taking such a long time with the warm water though…Oh yeah, why aren't you following her, Skinner?"

Skinner shrugged and put his hands into the pockets of the black leather greatcoat that Joan had loaned him. "Mina here apparently doesn't think much of my spying skills," he answered, putting on a false air of great bitterness. 

Mina cut in irritably. "It's not that I can help it… this is very urgent, and it is important that Joan does not know anything about Hyde. I need to hear Skinner's version of the events as soon as I can so as to make preparations… this is just a one time risk I'm taking, that's all."

"Well… Miss Joan doesn't strike me as the sort of girl who will sell out her friends…"

"What makes you so sure that we even _count _as friends?"

Tom looked at Mina straight in the eye. "Call it intuition," he said simply.

Mina rolled her eyes mentally. "I just hope you're right.," she said heavily. "Anyway, what do you all suppose we ought to do with Jekyll?"

*** 

In the middle of a dark and dingy room, a man leaned back in his chair, one hand grasping the top of his long and polished wooden cane, the other putting an empty wine glass down on a table beside him. The clattering of feet down the stone stairs leading to his hideout heralded the arrival of his helper. He smiled serenely as he toyed with the mask on his face.

The door soon flew open.

"Well?" He asked, without getting up from his chair to face his visitor.

"They're here." A breathless female voice announced. "Well, actually, they've been here for quite some time already but a lot of things happened and now is the only time I think it's safe to come see you."

"I know. I have heard them. Excellent." The silvery figure finally rose from his seat on the armchair and turned to face the excited brown haired woman framed in the doorway. "The League does not suspect a thing, do they?"

"Them?" The girl snorted unattractively. "They couldn't find their way out of a paper bag even if their lives depended on it."

"So they've not learned their lesson, I suppose? Really, I expected Mina to be much more alert…" he said, half to himself. "So what do you think of them?" The man then asked lazily, leaning casually against the armrest of his chair.

"Hmmm…. They're quite a diverse bunch. The ones that I think will cause us any problems are the vampire and the invisible man. They're good. Jekyll and Tom however, don't really strike me as very useful. Jekyll actually seems to me as the League's weakest link."

The man sneered. "Oh, you'll be surprised… I can understand your contempt against Agent Sawyer though, he's nothing but an ignorant young pup who only knows how to fire a gun and flirt. Jekyll, on the other hand… you'd best be wary about him."

"Why? From what I've seen of him, he's nothing but a scared whimpering little doctor!" The woman said incredulously, adjusting the red spectacles that framed her face. "He acts really strange, having frequent outbursts as though communicating with someone he alone can see." She shook her head. "I think he's probably insane."  

"You're very wrong in this point. The doctor has many tricks up his sleeves and is nothing as he seems. Jekyll is just a harmless facade… I don't care much for him. He can be very easily manipulated. It's his other side that I care very much about."

"What other side?"

"I am not going to tell you. It is for you to find out and for me to know. That's the beauty of the game, isn't it? I believe that you are smart enough to figure it out. Or are you not up to the challenge?" His voice was soft, taunting.

"Hahaha. Very funny. You know very well that I don't have a copy of the Jekyll and Hyde book in the house. I wish I could use the internet to find out more about the doctor…if _only_ the stupid computer was in my room and not in the living room. It makes a damn loud noise when it starts and will most likely alert the League if I tried to do it in private."

"Then that is your own sad loss," he said coolly.

 "Oh, drop dead."

The man smirked. "Believe me, it would be very impractical and unwise on my part to comply with your wish, _lady_. Don't forget, you are working for me and I am the one who will decide what to tell you and what not to."

The girl waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, don't tell me. I'd sooner or later discover the truth anyway. It's my job as a geek to be as intelligent and curious as possible."

He looked up at her again, yellow eyes glinting. 

"Then aren't you curious as to what my true identity really is?"

"I am," she admitted. "I am really dying to see your face and also find out why your eyes are yellow."

"Then why don't you ask?"

She laughed, but her eyes narrowed slightly and hardened. "Let's just say that I've seen how curiosity can kill the cat."

"How amusing. It was Mina, I suppose? I thought so. Anyway, the yellow colour of my eyes is just a side-effect of an experiment I made to make me even more stronger and powerful than before. My original eye colour was brown." The man said haughtily. He cast an amused gaze at the girl's sudden look of acute wonder.

"Wow… you engaged in black magic?"

"Well, you could say that."

The girl sighed. "Why do you always answer my questions without really explaining anything? I'm helping you, if you do not realise that. Without me, you will be totally lost."

The man laughed softly and scornfully. "Oh I would not think so. I've seen too much to be ever truly ignorant about the ways of the world. Even though it is now the twenty-first century, I can see that the people have not changed much. There is still much evil going on, fights, greed, deception…" He gestured at a pile of old newspapers on the grimy floor. "There's really not much difference between then and now except that the people, especially women, are much more uncivilised."

He looked smugly and indulgently at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just make sure you don't forget your part of the deal."

The man's curiously coloured eyes flashed suddenly. He silently produced from within the silvery folds of his cloak a plain looking old box and opened it. "I would not, my little helper," he whispered, showing its sparkling contents to her. "Serve me well, and all these will be yours as promised."

The woman's eyes gleamed with greed. 

"Good. Then I had best be going now then, to find out what exactly the league is planning. Oh yeah, one more thing. Are you sure you want the tracking device to be updated? The co-ordinates will most definitely lead to your hideout. I can tamper with it if you want…"

"No. It is essential to my plan that the League find out where I am. I want to deal with them in my own way. But I need a bit of time though. Try to stall for time. I need around two days at the most," he said, tucking the box back into his clothes. He could feel the woman's eager eyes following the movement of his hand.

"Well then, before you depart, I want to tell you not come down here to see me anymore. It is too risky."

"Don't be ridiculous. I know this place like the palm of my hand…"

The man cut across her in mid-speech. "I said no, and you will do well to remember it. If you are seen and followed… my entire plan will be ruined, and you get nothing." He smirked as she blanched. "Anyway, I would not be here for long."

"Huh? Why?"

The man raised one eyebrow at her. "I do not think that it will be a great idea for the League to follow the co-ordinates and then find that they lead to your basement, my dear girl."

The woman flushed but said nothing.

"I will get out of here by the back door soon. I am just here to personally confirm that the _League has properly settled in as planned. Of course, you will find out everything in due time. I am not telling you now as it is not yet the right time." _

There was a small pause.

"All right, if that's all, you had best be going then."

The woman sighed. "Whatever. If anything crops up, I'll contact you using the hand phone I gave you or send you a message."

"Fine."

The girl turned to leave. But then suddenly, she stopped in mid-step. 

"What is it now?" The man asked impatiently.

She turned around slowly, biting her lower lip as though wondering whether she should speak. "Well… I just want to know… if it is all right with you… what your name is. I mean, who, or what are you?"

The man smiled from behind his mask, although it was actually more like a leer. 

"I am… complicated."

With that, he turned around and sat back down on his armchair, a clear indication that he was not going to entertain anymore questions.


	10. Food for thought

Author' note: I'm terribly sorry about the delay, as I was suffering from an intense writer's block…  Oh well. Thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot to me!!! Please do not forget to leave your comments at the end of this chapter though, thanks!!

Chapter 9

"I'm baaccckkk!" Joan bounced into the room, brown hair streaming behind her and looking happy for some reason. The warm water she was carrying in a cup sloshed, and Mina, who was standing near the door jumped out of the way and glared at her.

Joan either did not notice or ignored Mina altogether. 

"Sorry I took so long… I went to order pizza for dinner! You all must be starving right?" She said, looking at them all as she set the cup down on the bedside table.

"What exactly is a… a pizza?" asked Tom quizzically, while rubbing a stubborn mark on his gun furiously.

"Oh, it's the best food in the world! It's hard to explain, but you'll understand when it comes. I've loaded it up with pepperonis, my favourite! I also ordered some delicious spicy chicken wings to go with it and a whole bottle of Pepsi to wash the whole lot down! Sounds great, doesn't it?"

There was a stunned silence, in which the League members tried hard to decipher what exactly she had just said. 

Joan sighed. "Never mind. Sorry, but I keep forgetting that the whole lot of you came from the past." 

Turning to look at Jekyll, who was now staring up at the ceiling with a glassy look in his eyes, she grinned. "Hey, you've finally awaken! That was quite a nasty knock to your head, wasn't it?" She said, sounding slightly too cheerful. She carefully made no mention of the total transformation she had seen in his character just now. "I hope you're feeling better and…"

She tailed off after realising that Jekyll was not paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

"Hey, are you all right? You're not stoning, are you? Hellooooo….?" She waved a hand vigorously in front of his blank eyes.

In a flash, Mina darted forwards and snatched Joan's hand away from Jekyll's face. Her grip was so tight that the knuckles on her hand turned white and Joan could feel the sharp nails digging deep into her flesh.

With a cry of pain, Joan yanked her hand free from the vampire's grip.

"Why the hell did you do that for??" She shouted angrily, nursing her painful wrist. 

 "I have already told you that this is not a game, you silly ignorant child," Mina answered icily, eyes glinting yellow. "One of my members is injured and I will not tolerate you mocking him like that." 

"I am NOT mocking him!" Joan said hotly. "Why would I want to do that for?"

A little moan came from the bed, but it went unnoticed. Not one person in the room realised that Henry Jekyll had finally snapped out of his conversation with Hyde due to the commotion and was now back to the present. He was staring at Mina and Joan with a look of acute horror and shock on his face.

_Sigh…what have I woken up to? From one nightmare to another… Why must Joan be so hot-headed? Why can't she at least give in to Mina once in a while?_

Hyde laughed in his head with glee. _I really like that girl… she livens things up so much around here!_

Tom tried to look as though he was too busy cleaning his gun to care but his unusually stiff pose and the fact that he was rubbing the same spot on his gun for the fifth time already gave away his true attentiveness to the conversation.

Skinner, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and keeping uncharacteristically silent.

Mina glared at Joan. "I would have thought it common sense for a person of your age to know when to play and when not to… there is no reason for you to engage in such a stupid and immature action."

"I was just showing some concern…"

"You certainly have an interesting way of showing it," Mina said, lip curling.

Joan flushed. "Jeez man, can't I do something without you immediately jumping up and threatening to rip out my throat?" 

Jekyll finally could not stand it any more. The shouting match was starting to grate on his nerves and cause him a very violent headache. He decided to, well, "step in" and stop what he thought was madness between the two women. He ignored Hyde's violent protests…

… and gave one very loud, fake cough.  

Everyone jumped.

"Henry! You've snapped out of it at last!" Joan said happily, quickly turning to him. Jekyll felt a little unsettled by her enthusiasm. 

"I-"

"That was one bad cough you had," Joan interrupted, not letting him finish his sentence. "Here, you had better drink the warm water I brought up."

She was so enthusiastic that she practically shoved the cup of warm water under his nose. Jekyll jerked his head backwards nervously. "T-thank you for your concern, Miss Joan, I –er…really appreciate it." He reached out slowly (as his arms were still aching) and took the cup from her. In doing so, his fingers brushed hers. She blushed slightly. 

"Y-You had better drink it all up. I've dissolved some medicine in there. It will help fight your cold." Jekyll nodded, feeling that his throat and nose were still sore. Raising the cup to his mouth, he drank the liquid down. It tasted like slightly like lemon.

Hyde sneered.

_Awww… wasn't that sweet of her? _

_Just shut up, Hyde._

Mina stared daggers at both Jekyll and Joan.

Suddenly, a chime was heard from somewhere downstairs, and Joan quickly sprang to her feet. "Hey, the pizza must be here! Wait for me guys, I'll be back in a jiffy!" So saying she dashed off, opening and slamming the room door behind her.

"Skinner?" Mina immediately shifted her attention to the invisible thief.

"I know, I know. You don't have to remind me." He had already slipped the greatcoat off his body and thrown it messily on the floor. The room door opened briefly once more before closing shut again.

Mina waited for a few seconds before striding towards the bed and sitting herself onto a chair next to it.

"Joan seems to have a taken a great liking in you, doctor," she said icily. 

Jekyll gulped at the look on her face and trembled slightly. He hastily put the empty cup down on the table beside him with shaking hands.

"W-what do you mean?"

The vampire leaned forward, green eyes boring into his own dark ones. "What I mean is that Joan may be trying to glean information from you by being friendly. I want you from now on to keep as far away from her as possible. Am I clear on that?"

Indignation rose up in the doctor. "I believe that I can keep secrets to myself, thank you very much," he said, harsher than he intended. From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tom flinch. "Why did you have to ask Skinner to follow me?"

Mina sighed. "I was worried… you were not feeling well, and I just wanted to be sure that you would not, well… _accidentally_… let slip something important if she tried to pump you for information. And according to what Skinner had told me just now, she did, and placed you in a difficult situation to get out of."

"But I-" Jekyll started to protest, but Mina interjected.

"Don't fret. I also know that you handled the problem very well, and did not give her more news than necessary. I would like to congratulate you on that." She smiled tiredly at him, and Jekyll felt his heart beat rather faster than usual.

"I do not trust the girl at all. If not for the fact that we need her…" she closed her eyes, breathing heavily. 

"Are you all right?" The doctor asked, leaning forward slightly in concern. "You don't look very well…" 

"Yes, yes I'm fine. It was just a slight bout of dizziness. There's nothing to be worried about," she muttered, shaking her head and rubbing at her temple. 

"Are you sure?" Tom asked anxiously, who had quickly abandoned his gun cleaning and rushed over to Mina's side. "Would you like me to get anything for you?" Jekyll felt his lips stretch in a small smile. It was so obvious to everyone in the League that the young secret Agent had a huge attraction to Mina.

"Go back to your gun, Tom. I'm fine," Mina said, softly but firmly. "I am not that weak a person."

_Was I imagining it, or did Mina just throw me a strange look?_ Jekyll wondered. The vampire had glanced at him so quickly that it was impossible to tell.

"All right, Ms Harker, if you're sure," Tom drawled in his southern accent. He then stood up and went back to his gun reluctantly.  

Mina turned to look at Jekyll again. "So I want you to understand, it's not that I don't trust you…"

_So I had to privately ask Skinner to follow you around, _Hyde said sarcastically, mimicking Mina's voice.

_Be quiet!_

"… but I just do not want to take any chances," she continued. "Not after last time…" Her green eyes, normally so effective in locking in her feelings, betrayed the hurt she felt for an instant. They took on a slightly dreamy, faraway sheen that was very rarely seen and Jekyll had to fight the sudden intense urge he felt to hold her. She looked so lovely like that, full of feminine charm. And before he could stop himself, he felt his eyes travel from her face to the smooth curve of her neck and down to the…

He felt a blush creeping up his face, and, full of embarrassment, looked away hastily.

 _If only I could just reach out and touch her hair, with my fingers caressing that silky softness… or perhaps, just perhaps, put my lips on hers…_

_Then what are you waiting for?_ Hyde demanded. _Take her! You're already in bed and she is right there next to you!_

Jekyll coughed and glanced at Mina timidly. She cleared her throat and looked down on the floor. Almost without thinking, he silently stretched out a hand towards her hair… 

The door burst open once again, and the greatcoat Skinner left on the floor was quickly picked up by an invisible hand. "She's coming back now… only a few seconds behind me…" He panted as he quickly put on the coat. "Went to collect that 'pizza' thing from a man at the door…"

Mina hastily stood up, while Jekyll's hand fell limply and disappointingly (?) back onto his lap.  

Just as Skinner finished buttoning up, Joan came trooping in, arms full. She dumped the contents of her hands down onto the round table in the middle of the room. "All right!" she said, face positively glowing. "Let's eat!" She took out a large box that had the words 'Pizza Hut' stamped on it from the mess.

Opening it, she turned to the League members. "Doesn't it look absolutely appetizing?"

They stared at in astonishment. The pizza seemed nothing more to Jekyll than an oddly shaped piece of dough with cooked ingredients scattered haphazardly on its surface.

"It looks like a wheel," said Tom seriously. "Oh well, but I don't think it can be worse than the steamed squid and octopus we had when we were onboard the Nautilus, I suppose…. Could it?"

Skinner snorted. "THAT is what you call appetizing?" he asked. Joan smiled, offering the box him. "You're so going to eat your words when you try it," she challenged. "Go on, take a slice!"

"And how do you propose I go about doing that?" Skinner shot back, looking around. There were no cutlery to be seen anywhere. 

Joan laughed. "With your fingers of course, dummy!"

There was a stunned silence.

"It seems that the standard of civilisation has dropped considerably," Tom joked. "In our time it would be highly improper to eat our meals without forks or knives." 

"Well, haven't you heard of the saying that fingers were made before forks?" Joan retorted. Turning to Skinner, she instructed, "Just grab the crust and pull, will you? It's gonna get cold."

"Which part of it?" he asked, sounding slightly perplexed.

Joan sighed, placing the box back onto the table. "This is going to take forever. Let me show you."__

*

 "Hey, you're right! It does taste good!" Tom exclaimed, after taking a rather reluctant bite into his slice of pizza.

"Told you so!" Joan laughed. She then offered a plate to Jekyll. "Well, I know you're sick and all that but I don't think you would mind eating this right? After all…"

"No, no, it's all right," Jekyll said, smiling at her. "I'm rather hungry. Thank you very much." 

He took the plate from her. The girl grinned back, and then turned to Mina with another plate in hand.

The vampire stared at her frostily. "I'm not hungry."

Joan rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be ridiculous! You haven't eaten anything for the whole afternoon!" When Mina still made no move to accept the offered food, Joan sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry for yelling at you just now… happy? I don't anyone would be glad if you starved yourself to death, you know."

"What I hunger for is very different than what your notion of food is," Mina muttered, but she accepted the plate from Joan. "Anyway, thank you."

After the meal (in which everyone enjoyed the pizza and chicken wings until there was not a scrap left), Joan stacked up all the dirty dishes and empty cardboard boxes. "Hey, Mina," she called suddenly. "Didn't you mention earlier that you had a letter from a kidnapper? I think that since I am now part of your team, I have every right to know the contents of it."

Mina paused for a moment, dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief. She seemed deep in thought. As one, the League turned to her, waiting expectantly. Sighing heavily, she pulled out the slightly crumpled letter from her pocket and opened it. "Very well, very well. This is what that madman has written…" 


End file.
